South Korean president lauds Trump and Kim Jong Un’s move towards dialogue

SEOUL, March 8 (UPI) — South Korean President Moon Jae-in said talks between the U.S. and North Korea would mark a “historic milestone for establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula.”

After U.S. President Donald Trump accepted the North’s invitation for dialogue, the South Korean leader on Friday lauded the development, saying the “complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula” will be on track through the meeting of the two leaders, according to Moon’s spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom.

“I convey my deep gratitude to the U.S. and North Korean leaders for their courage and wisdom in making this difficult decision,” Moon reportedly said.

He added that Trump’s leadership would be praised by South and North Koreans as well as all citizens throughout the world who are hoping for peace, Yonhap reported.

“I also thank world leaders who expressed interest and support until this result was reached today,” he said.

Seoul will expediate efforts to support the “miraculous opportunity,” the leader reportedly added.

The presidential spokesman also revealed that during a meeting with South Korean envoy Chung Eui-yong, Kim Jong Un said if he meets with Donald Trump, “there could be a big achievement.”

Chung reportedly relayed the message to Trump on Thursday local time, saying he’d felt “sincerity” from Kim during their discussion earlier this week, and that the North Korean leader wished to meet his U.S. counterpart “as soon as possible.”

Amid Moon’s efforts to foster the mood for peace on the Korean Peninsula and broker talks between the U.S. and North Korea, the South Korean president’s approval rating jumped back to over 70 percent, after two months of remaining in the 60 percent threshold.

A Gallup Korea survey saw public approval for Moon rise 7 percentage points to 71 percent from the week before, while negative opinions dropped 4 percentage points to 22 percent.

The pollster attributed the stronger public support to achievements made by the president’s special envoys to North Korea earlier this week, which included an agreement with Kim Jong Un on holding an inter-Korean summit.

The survey was conducted on 1,005 South Korean adults from Tuesday to Thursday, with a confidence level of 95 percent with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.